The Underground Pyromaniac
by namelessdorkwhosjustwalkinby
Summary: Things change when the Survey Corps' official Pyromaniac gets to show off her skills. See how the existence of one Emma Lowe changes the story. I do not own Attack on Titan or its characters. Warning: change in the canon plot is present. Cross-posted on Wattpad under FoldableTuperware.
1. Chapter 1

**1~ A Total Change**

The rain beat heavily on the head of a certain raven-haired cadet in the Survey Corps. He was currently participating in an expedition beyond the walls, although that was not his original intent. The cadet had broken away from his squad in hopes of completing his real mission: killing Captain Erwin Smith. On the way, the he came across numerous bodies and large footprints signaling a titan heading the opposite direction.

Fearing the worst, the man turned back, and upon his arrival the man witnessed his female friend in the hands of a titan, while his male friend tried desperately to free her. They were unsuccessful, both being caught and raised to the titan's open jaws. They almost met their end when a call sounded through the area.

"STICKY BOMB!"

Shortly after the call, a bomb landed and stuck on the titan's neck, blowing up seconds later. The smoke and steam cleared, revealing the man's two friends who were unharmed, save for a few cuts and bruises. They ran to the man and engulfed him in a big hug, which he did not return.

The three friends broke apart and looked around in hopes of finding their savior to thank them, but had no such luck. The only people around them were dead with their corpses strewn about sloppily. Finding their search to be in vain, the three friends continue their mission to kill Captain Smith.

 **~(0_0)~**

When they reached Erwin, the three friends were apprehended for a second time by their superiors and forced to kneel.

"I know what you're doing." Erwin took some documents out of his jacket and began. "However, I would like you to know that these documents are fake."

Erwin threw the documents on the ground in front of the three friends. "The real documents have probably already reached Darius Zackley by now. Your mission has failed. So now, I want to know if you- Levi, Furlan, and Isabelle- will be full-fledged members of the Survey Corps, and gain your citizenship through your service."

 **AN: I did warn about canon divergence. Also, I know Levi's motivation will change, so I would like to instill the notion that Levi doesn't like to lose, and therefore uses his loss against Erwin in this chapter combined with the future deaths of his newfound friends serve as his motivation and character building.**


	2. 845

**2~ 845**

Shortly after the Survey Corps members left the safety of Shiganshina District, the colossal titan appeared and looked over the wall for a few seconds, before kicking the gate open. Two young boys and a young girl bore witness to this horrific sight, and soon ran off to find their loved ones. One of the boys found his grandfather and set course for Wall Maria, while the other two children ran into the fray, coming across their home which was crushed by a section of the broken gate. The young boy's mother was still alive, but she was crushed under the rubble and unable to flee. A soldier from the Garrison Regiment collected the children and fled the incoming titan, leaving the mother there to die.

And die she did. Before swallowing her whole, the titan broke her back to cease her struggling, making it easier to eat her. The young boy watched as his mother died, and was thoroughly surprised to hear a call from behind the titan.

"STICKY BOMB!"

There, at the titan's nape, a bomb had landed and exploded, killing the titan. Through the smoke and steam, the young boy could make out a person wearing a forest green cape with the Wings of Freedom insignia on the back.

845\. That was the year Eren Jeager lost his mother. That was the year Mikasa Ackerman made it clear that she would follow Eren. And that was the year one Armin Arlert lost his only remaining family.

 **(0_0)/** ****

 **We apologize for the short chapters, it is temporary and necessary to set up the actual story properly. As planned, the next chapter will also be short, but the one after that will be longer, as it's the official beginning of the story. Thank you for your understanding.**


	3. The Legend

**3~ The Legend**

Emma Lowe, resident Pyromaniac for the Survey Corps, was never one for human interaction. Having grown up in the underground city below Stohess in wall Sina, Emma learned early on not to trust anybody. Yet that all changed when she met one Captain Erwin Smith.

Erwin was the one who gave Emma her citizenship, on the premise that she would use her skills to become an inventor for the Survey Corps exclusively. To give her the opportunities she needed for success, Emma was promoted to a captain rather quickly. However, unlike the other captains, she didn't have a squad to lead because the higher-ups believed she was too dangerous of a person to work under. Instead, Emma was in charge of the development of any tools the corps may need, such as ODM gear upgrades and titan traps.

In her down time, Emma was finally able to practice her hobby: pyrotechnics. She was always infatuated with explosions, flames, and anything related to the two. After years of mild interest, Emma was able to create a way to use fire and explosions to her advantage while on expiditions. She would create small, powerful bombs covered in titan vomit, and the product would be called sticky bombs.

These sticky bombs were very useful on expeditions. With the bombs, Emma didn't need to get close to a titan to kill it, nor did she need to dismount her horse to throw them. Unfortunately, others in the regiment were afraid of backfires, so Emma was the only one who used this method.

Despite Emma's contributions to the corps, only two people have ever seen her face, and only a handful have lived long enough to remember she existed. She liked it this way. The less people to know about her, the less people to meddle. She went into the field less. She lived, ate, and spontaneously combusted in her lab with little human interaction, save for Erwin Smith and Hange Zoe.

 **A/N: Well now that's a wrap on the backstory! The next chapter will begin the real story.**


End file.
